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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, May 13, 2012

• James is the writer, but God is the author of the book. We do not know for sure which James is the writer.
• James 1:1 – There are differing views on exactly who this book is written to. It could have een written to either Jews or Jews and Gentiles. This book contains general instruction for everyday life as a Christian.
• James 1:15 – When one is tempted and decides to sin, he has sinned even if circumstances prevent him from carrying out his intention.
• James 1:17 – God will consistently bless those who do His will just as He punishes those who sin against Him.

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 6, 2012

• Luke 4:1-13
• The devil will tempt anybody!
• I Corinthians 10:12 – Do not think you are beyond temptation. If the devil would try to tempt Jesus, he will not shy away from tempting anyone!
• The devil’s gonna hit you where it hurts!
• Jesus was intensely hungry after fasting for forty days and the devil offered him bread.
• Job 1:11,2:5 – The devil decides how to tempt Job.
• Job 2:9-10 – The devil uses evil pain and suffering to tempt men. He knows that people tend to question God when tragedy strikes.
• Job 31:1,9-11
• The devil quotes scripture
• Luke 4:9-12
• The devil only flees for a season.
• Luke 4:13
• Acts 20:28-31 – We must always be on alert for temptation.
• Hebrews 4:14-16; 2:18 – Jesus is sympathetic to our plight.

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By David Wtason

Benchley, October 16, 2011

• Genesis 30:22-24
• Joseph maintained his faith:
• In the face of temptation
• Genesis 39:6-12 – Joseph escapes from Potiphar’s wife
• II Peter 2:4-11
• Proverbs 1:10
• Over the long haul
• Acts 7:9-15
• Genesis 37:23-24,28,36; 39:2-3,20-21; 41:1,14-16,51-52; 50:19-21
• Hebrews 11:13; 4:9-11; 12:3
• At the time of death
• Hebrews 11:22; Genesis 5:22-26 – Joseph knew God would fulfill His promises even after his death.
• I Corinthians 15:35,42-44 – We don’t know all the details of the afterlife.

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By David Watson

By David Watson

Benchley, September 4, 2011

[Sorry, no audio for this lesson due to technical difficulties.]

• This present world?
• Philemon 1:23; II Timothy 4:9 – Demas had fallen away.
• Psalms 90:1-4,9-12 – This life is temporary.
• Luke 5:5 – This world is frustrating sometimes.
• Ecclesiastes 1:8; 4:7-8; 5:10; 6:3-7 – This world offes no lasting satisfaction.
• II Corinthians 3:4 – Satan blinds people to the gospel of Christ.
• Serving God and going to heaven?
• Matthew 16:26
• Hebrews 11:24-26; Deuteronomy 10:12-13 – Fear God and walk in His ways.
• Proverbs 19:23 – If your sould is safe, you can sleep satisfied.
• I Timothy 6:17 – We should fix our hope on God instead of earthly riches.
• Jeremiah 35:5-6,12-14 – The descendants of Jonadab are examples of how to follow commands. We should try to have a legacy of righteousness.
• Psalms 51:12; James 5:19-20 – There is great joy in knowing that we had a part in someone’s salvation.
• Aim at your target!
• I Corinthians 9:24-27 – We must discipline ourselves to reach our target.
• Hebrews 5:12-14 – We must study.

By David Watson

Benchley, June 1, 2011

[Sorry, no audio for this lesson due to technical difficulties.]

• Mark 9:35 – We are not to try to compete with each other to be first. We are to show humility. This applies even to elders, deacons, and preachers, who are to be servants. We are all ultimately merely servants of God.
• Mark 9:38-40 – This does not authorize any kind of “independent religion,” i.e. “I can be in fellowship without being a member of the church or practicing ‘traditional’ worship.” We must all obey the same commandments from God.
• Mark 9:43-48 – We must do whatever it takes to remove sin from our lives. The message here is figurative, but we must sometimes take drastic measures to get away from sin.
• Mark 9:49 – This could be referring to the purifying effect of persecution.

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, January 23, 2011

• Would the way your appear in public ever cause Jesus to say you were naked?
  • That is, as the Bible uses the word “naked”?
• Answer:
  • No clothes (Genesis 3:7) – no
  • Scant clothes (I Corinthians 4:11; James 2:15; Genesis 3:10; Exodus 20:26; 28:42) – ???
• As women professing godliness
  • I Timothy 2:8-10
  • Modest:  “Well arranged, seemingly discreet” – Vine, Thayer, Bullinger
  • Shamefacedness:  “A sense of shame, is prominently objective in its reference, having regard to others.”  – Thayer
  • Sobriety:  “That habitual inner self government with its constant rein on all the passings and desires which would hinder the temptation to these from arising.” – Trench

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By Jason Garcia

Benchley, December 29, 2010

• Romans 7:13-23
• Philippians 3:12-14
• What can hinder us?
  • Relationships
    • Family (Matthew 10:34-37)
    • Friends (I Corinthians 15:33)
  • Personal interests
    • Hobbies, careers, school activities (Luke 9:59-62)
  • Sin
    • Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1,2; Acts 8:13,21-22; I John 1:6-7; 2:3-6)
• How do we remove these hindrances?
  • Relationships
    • Deal drastically with these issues (Matthew 18:7-9)
  • Personal interests
    • Remain focused on Jesus to retain the right perspective on all else (Hebrews 12:1-2)
  • Sin
    • Resist sin, and take preventative measures against it (Ephesians 4:27; 6:16; Romans 13:13-14)
    • Confess our sin (I John 1:9)
  • Know God’s Word
    • Study, renew, transform (Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:9-11)
• We must always remember …
  • The greatness of God’s love (Ephesians 3:14-19; Hebrews 7:25)
  • Christ is eager to forgive (Luke 5:17-20; 23:39-43)
  • Though He is full of grace and mercy, He still expects our best effort (I Corinthians 10:13; James 4:7)

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, August 8, 2010

• He left us His Word.
  • Romans 1:16; John 17:17; Acts 2; James 1:21
• He left us the avenue of prayer.
  • I Peter 3:12; I Timothy 2:5; Romans 8:26-27
• He left us an example:
  • of how to withstand temptation
  • of how to love even those who were killing Him
• He left us His church.
  • Matthew 16:18
• He left us the promise of heaven.
  • Matthew 25:21,34,46; II Corinthians 5:1

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 23, 2010

• Trust in God
  • Daniel 6:4-23 – Daniel was saved from the lions by his faith in God.
  • Daniel 3:17-18 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego
  • Psalms 119:97-110
• Use God’s strength
  • Judges 14:5-6; I Samuel 17:3-37; Ephesians 6:10-17
  • There are simple things we can each do to learn and understand God’s Word:
    • Read the Bible
    • Read the context
    • Harmonize
    • Compare several translations
    • Use a Greek dictionary
    • Humbly draw a conclusion
    • Apply what you’ve learned
• Resist
  • James 4:7; Matthew 4:4